ed’s boat tips

Its hard to believe it but it has been two years since I first introduced a device known as an ELCI to you in a post linked here: http://www.edsboattips.com/maintenance-a-diy/21-introducing-the-elci  Well, it’s time for an update on this life saving device, especially since in a couple of weeks I’ll be in attendance at the ABYC’s annual “Standards Week” an the ELCI will most assuredly will be one of the many topics of conversation during the week. First the bad news. The ABYC technical …

Its that time of year when things begin to slow down a bit. The holidays are just about over, the boatyard is filled to the brink with shrink-wrapped splendor and I begin to get into a winter funk as I wait patiently for Memorial Day weekend. Until then, there are some things we need to do to make sure we are good to go when the boating season returns. One area that gets overlooked way too frequently is safety related and an easy fix, if you remember. Your flare kit and some of the …

As some of you know one of my favorite jobs over recent years is to act as one of the judges for the Cruising World Magazine Boat of The Year contest. Contrary to what some have accused us of over the years, the Cruising World program and the judges get deep into the weeds as they say. We bring in experts in all areas related to sailing, cruising/living aboard, construction and systems all get covered both on land and on the water. My role is as the systems guy. I actually take things apart …

Every now and then either I or one of my buddies comes up with a real work of electrical art that we need to share in our hopes that readers here will get the idea that we’re watching you and if you mess up, sooner or later one of us is going to expose you. This week’s little nugget comes from my friend Dexter who was working on a customer’s boat here at the boatyard and discovered a real gem of a double pole circuit breaker installation. This goes well beyond the Tupper Wear plastic box …

As promised I’m finally back from my travels to METS in Amsterdam and a trip immediately after that to work with all of my friends up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. One of the items that caught my eye at METS was a new bow thruster design that is truly new, and super innovative. The “Rimdrive” as they are calling it is unique and was nominated for a DAME award at the METS this year. Check it out here: RimDrive Motor Vetus explains this revolutionary design this way: To give you a better feel for …

I received a great query several days ago from one of our readers who has a very cool project in mind. He’s asking some questions that should be shared. Marshall Sanderling Eddy writes: Hello Ed,I am about to pull the trigger with a mastervolt 2.5 kw on my 18′ Sanderling catboat. I am also worried about runtime ie range. any updates? Looking to put 4 valence lithium Iron Magnesium phosphate 12v 138ah batteries. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Eddy The updates Eddy are …

RayMarine 300 GPS Just back from the METS in Amsterdam and while there I saw some really cool new things that I will share with everyone over the next several weeks. But, first things first. I received a query from a reader several days ago and I need to get the question answered as best I can. So, here’s the question: Peter writes in: Raymarine no longer services the Raynav 300. Do you know of a source for repair manuals. I would like to attempt to repair the unit that I have. My response …

I received a query yesterday from a reader asking about a really important issue related to marine electrical system component ratings for ignition protection. I say important because you don’t want your boat to end up looking like the one shown here: Doug’s question goes like this: Hi Ed,I would like to know if any classes of products accepted as inherently ignition protected, not in need of testing / a label. Specifically I am wondering about:- standard sealed inductive proximity sensors- …

Well I hate to say it but it is that time of year again. Time to put the boat to bed for the winter hibernation period. That includes your boat’s battery(s). This little maintenance chore, if done properly can go a long way toward making sure you get the maximum life out of your batteries. Conversely, if you ignore what I’m about to tell you, your batteries are sure not to last as they should. Let me begin by emphasizing one key point, there is no need or even a desire to remove the …

I get folks asking me what I think about a product idea from time to time and recently I had a query that really got my attention. How about a waterproof electrical buss bar? This one has gone well beyond the idea stage and is actually available as a product right now. Check it out here: So, what are you looking at? Its basically a buss bar with a 300 amp @ 48VDC rating that is completely potted and has two permanently installed and water tight Deutsch 12 pin plug connectors installed on …

I get folks asking me what I think about a product idea from time to time and recently I had a query that really got my attention. How about a waterproof electrical buss bar? This one has gone well beyond the idea stage and is actually available as a product right now. Check it out here: So, what are you looking at? Its basically a bus bar with a 300 amp @ 48VDC rating that is completely potted and has two permanently installed and water tight Deutsch 12 pin plug connectors installed on it. …

The Whisper Fan Controller As I’ve already mentioned, I spent last week at the IBEX industry show out in Louisville, Kentucky. While there I had an opportunity to check in with our friends at Dometic Group for a look at what’s new in their world. One item really caught my eye, especially because it can be easily retro-fitted to existing boats with Dometic Group AC units installed, whch covers any boat with either a Crusair or Marine Air System installed. Check out the video linked here: …